I have a Sony HD mini-camcorder with 'sports' housing, but it is about the size of a small shoebox. It is cumbersome to try to use on my AI.
I have looked at 'bullet helmet cams' but either the resolution is bad (Oregon/Sanyo Xacti) or the price is very high (VIO POV.1). There are some small handheld HD chip cameras but all of the reviews tend to complain about image color, etc (Aiptek) Several people have recommended one of the new waterproof 'point&shoot' cameras which can capture HD video on a SD chip as well as still images (Pentax W60, etc.
What do you Hobie Videographers recommend?

I use the VIO POV.1. I went through all the cheap ones and finally got what works. Many mounting options. I use it sailing, bicycling and motorcycling.
I am waiting for a Optio W60 for still shots. Might have it in a few days. A wide angle lens is good and the Optio is one of the few point and shoot cameras that is waterproof and has it.
VIO is making a 16 ft cable which will be great for mounting up the mast or other far out places. The great thing about the VIO is that being a lipstick camera it can be mounted easily and has little surface area to get knocked around or off.
I know...it's a little spendy but a month after you get it you won't miss the bucks.

I have looked at your videos and the promos for the POV.
Does the camera have any 'shake reduction features'?
Most of the other video cameras seem to have shake
reduction...but they are usually digital reduction which really
decreases the resolution of the images!
From your video(s) you don't seem to get much shake on
the images at all.
Do the image colors seem to be realistic?
Do you have problems with brightness control?

I have looked at videos from eight different waterproof
(video) cameras and the POV's seem to be the highest
quality for not being an HD camera.

Because the POV is about 3 times more expensive than the
other cameras...I need to know about the quality of what
I am buying

It has no optical or digital stabilization that I am aware of. A wide angle lens lessens the need for stabilization while providing a more realistic panorama of the world. It handles changes in bright and dark fairly well but not as well as some point and shoots do. It has few settings as far as video controls are concerned. The camera does better than any others that I have had that are suitable for this type of shooting.
I have a Kodak V570 which has a dual wide angle lens. It works well if not better but is not waterproof etc. I have used my Canon IS2S which has great video and still capability but once again is large and not waterproof.
I have an Xacti 720 HD that does pretty well and considered getting the E2 waterproof but after using my present one I can't see using it on board, having to flip open the viewfinder and hope nothing ever gets caught on it. The base is somewhat unstable and weak where the tripod is screwed in. I would be concerned in anything but light airs.
I debated between the several waterproof Olympus models and the Pentax Optio W60. After reading all the photo site reviews and owner reviews I think the W60 is the way to go. Has the wide angle lens, uses SD cards, which I have many, and the video seems to be more straight forward although a newer update seems to have helped. I wanted a hand held video and still camera that is waterproof for in the cockpit work while leaving the VIO mounted outboard. Another thing is that you want a camera that is quick to set up and operate or it won't be used very much.
If you can wait until I get the W60 which should be in the next few days I will try it and may find that it is usable out on a mount like the VIO is. That would cut the cost down for you and give you more options.
If you haven't been here http://helmetcameracentral.com/forums/ than I suggest you spend a few hours reading.
It is hard to evaluate the video quality when most of the video sites down size and compress the files so much. I have taken video with the VIO at 720x480 and popped the SD card into a Sony PS3 and it up converted it to HD. I had to view it over and over to appreciate it.
I have gone through the Aptek and other similar cameras and found them to be sadly lacking.
I spent the last six years of my Air Force career as the graphics/photo guy for the USAF Thunderbirds. Flying backseat in T-38's and F-16B's are not all that smooth and "simple with no moving parts" is a good thing. I find similarities in flying and sailing photography. Wish I had todays cameras back then!
And then again there will be something new and better out next week!

Features:
Wireless, hands-free digital recording, no longer do you need expensive and bulky video-cameras with wires running everywhere. The atc3k is a completely self contained unit making it unique, this truly is a wireless hands-free helmet cam

v Not only is the ATC3K a helmet cam It can also be used as a web cam and even comes with an easy to use stand for setting up as a web cam (includes software for set up)

v Now with a wider field of view giving you 48 degrees

v You can now use your ATC3k as viewfinder this feature enables you to set up your cam then plug it into your PMP (ie, MP4player) and check what your filming. No more going home to find youâ€™ve only got footage of the ground or sky

v TV cable for instant replay on the big screen & USB cables for easy uploads to your computer making it easy to edit your footage using free software programs such as windows movie maker.

v Mounts easily on helmets, bikes and a wide array of sports equipment

v Operates with 2 AA batteries (included)

With the standard 32mb internal memory you will get about 1 minute of video at the very highest resolution (1min/10mb) With the 4GB SD memory card (not included) you will get approximately 2 hours

Another site - helmetcameracentral is worth a look.
Has anyone used Helmet Hero?

As a motorcyclist I like the idea of being able to use it for that purpose as well as the AI. The best times I have had on the AI certainly don't allow you to hold a video camera.
If I go with the first option I guess I will still need to have a waterproof still camera - but I think I already have that issue covered.

The Olympus Stylus 1030SW is a rugged ultra-compact digital camera like no other. Its rugged exterior can be submerged 10 meters under water, dropped from up to 2 meters onto concrete, frozen to -10C and withstand pressure up to 200kg.
It's not cheap but is strong and has all the features we need like image stabilisation, 30 feet plus waterproof, shockproof, , 10 megapixals, great lens that takes great pictures and 1.5 hours of movie with 2 GB card. Yippeee I just got one and am looking forward to using it on the AI. And even better my Insurance man tells me that it is coverered on my house and contents if it goes for a permanent swim...Long live Olympus...Pirate

It has no optical or digital stabilization that I am aware of. A wide angle lens lessens the need for stabilization while providing a more realistic panorama of the world. It handles changes in bright and dark fairly well but not as well as some point and shoots do. It has few settings as far as video controls are concerned. The camera does better than any others that I have had that are suitable for this type of shooting.I have a Kodak V570 which has a dual wide angle lens. It works well if not better but is not waterproof etc. I have used my Canon IS2S which has great video and still capability but once again is large and not waterproof.I have an Xacti 720 HD that does pretty well and considered getting the E2 waterproof but after using my present one I can't see using it on board, having to flip open the viewfinder and hope nothing ever gets caught on it. The base is somewhat unstable and weak where the tripod is screwed in. I would be concerned in anything but light airs.I debated between the several waterproof Olympus models and the Pentax Optio W60. After reading all the photo site reviews and owner reviews I think the W60 is the way to go. Has the wide angle lens, uses SD cards, which I have many, and the video seems to be more straight forward although a newer update seems to have helped. I wanted a hand held video and still camera that is waterproof for in the cockpit work while leaving the VIO mounted outboard. Another thing is that you want a camera that is quick to set up and operate or it won't be used very much.If you can wait until I get the W60 which should be in the next few days I will try it and may find that it is usable out on a mount like the VIO is. That would cut the cost down for you and give you more options.If you haven't been here http://helmetcameracentral.com/forums/ than I suggest you spend a few hours reading.It is hard to evaluate the video quality when most of the video sites down size and compress the files so much. I have taken video with the VIO at 720x480 and popped the SD card into a Sony PS3 and it up converted it to HD. I had to view it over and over to appreciate it.I have gone through the Aptek and other similar cameras and found them to be sadly lacking.I spent the last six years of my Air Force career as the graphics/photo guy for the USAF Thunderbirds. Flying backseat in T-38's and F-16B's are not all that smooth and "simple with no moving parts" is a good thing. I find similarities in flying and sailing photography. Wish I had todays cameras back then!And then again there will be something new and better out next week!

Phil - have you got your Optio W60 and are you happy with it I have read a number of comparitive reviews between it and the Olympus 1030SW and there are clearly pros and cons for both and it isn't a clear cut win for either. I think the newer Olympus 1050SW should also be compared to the W60.
I have not decided which way to go yet but a decision is imminent and I would appreciate anyone's experiences, opinions on this. Pirate has the Olympus 1030SW and from the results I have seen so far, it is a great little camera.

Mickey,
Yes, I have the camera and I am happy with it, The tripod hole is on one end of the camera instead of the middle which makes for a less stable area to tighten down on. On the other hand I will be using it hand held most of the time so no big deal. The image is good even at 7 mpixels. I haven't tried it out on the boat as the weather is cold at the moment.
Either camera will do well for our use. My main reason for going with the W60 was the ability to use SD cards instead of the Olympus xD picture card. I have many SD cards and the xD's are more expensive so that was the real deal breaker for me. If I had a bunch of xD cards laying around I would have gone for the Oly.
I found out that the W60 has and interval shooting mode where it can be set to take a picture every few seconds or minutes which might be interesting.
Bottom line is either one is better than none!

And both are better than most others I have tried or read about I like the idea of SD cards too. The newer model Olympus 1050 SW uses them instead of XD cards - guess they went with consumer preference.

After looking at the advice and videos from other members...I decided that I wanted to use a 'bullet camera' for videography. I googled about a dozen motorcycle forums. A lot of cycle riders put helmet cameras on their bikes and subject them to a lot of vibration. So there are a lot of camera reviews available. Just like TV sets, published specs don't always give the reality of the electronics.

I went with the TachyonXC because it is waterproofed to 28 ft (8.5m),
it uses common AA batteries which are shockproofed, the resolution is 640x480 (VGA), and most important it is the only bullet camera which can use 16GB & 32GB SDHC cards. A 16GB card will give about 4 hours of run time. It also can take still photos at the same resolution (3 MB). It also has a non-waterproof IR remote. Output is TV video and USB-2.

I have test run it several times. It works best in full sunlight with an automatic iris. The view angle is unfortunately only 50 degrees (I would have preferred about 90 degrees, which gives less shake artifacts).

I have a water-resistant 12MB digital still-camera I will use if I need
high res photos.

I plan to mount the camera on a narrow pipe inserted into an adjustable rod holder and wanted the least amount of weight on the end of the pipe.